Preparing for uncertain futures

February 18, 2007 2:10 PM

A pate of reports is reminding us that our nation and our public schools will face very daunting challenges in the decades ahead. Demographic, social, technological, economic and even climate change wil likely alter the face of public schools in the new century. A breakout session at the LFA summit will help leaders try to get ahead of this curve.

Laura Lefkowits, the director of policy initiatives and Mid-Continent Research for Education and learning, will guide participants on how they can use scenarios--structured stories about possible alternative futures--to anticipate possible futures and create the best possible outcomes for public schools.

Corporate leaders, military strategists and government planners have for years employed scenario-based planning exercises for years. For a useful overview of scenario-based planning, see Wikipedia's entry here. If you don't trust Wikipedia--though futurists would council you to get used to it soon--have a look at McREL's overview of their scenario work here.